4 Ways Obamacare’s Disaster Is Worse than the Sinking of the Titanic

The implementation of Obamacare is on course to be remembered as one of the worst public policy disasters of all time. Though it was billed as a law that would decrease everyone’s insurance premiums by as much as $2500 per year, it is driving prices up, will drive taxes up, and forces Americans to buy a product as the price of being an American.

And then, there’s the Healthcare.gov website…

The fact is, Obamacare stacks up poorly even against one of the most infamous disasters in modern history, the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

Casualties

When Titanic sunk on April 15, 1912, just over 1,500 people tragically lost their lives in the accident.

Obamacare is not an accident, it is an act of politics. The number of Americans that Obamacare will hurt and even kill is incalculable. People are currently losing their insurance plans and cannot log onto Healthcare.gov to buy replacement plans. As many as 16 million Americans face losing their health insurance thanks to Obamacare. It has killed insurance competition in rural America. Some number of Americans will get sick and die without insurance between the time they lose their health insurance and Healthcare.gov finally gets fixed. Once the website gets fixed, Obamacare still includes the Independent Payment Advisory Board, an unelected panel empowered to ration health care. The IPAB is the “death panel” that may make life-or-death decisions for Americans, for as long as Obamacare is law. Obamacare still subsidizes as many as 115,000 abortions per year as well.

Warnings

The Titanic was crossing the Atlantic near its maximum speed of about 21.5 knots in the dead of night, and had little warning before it struck the iceberg that pierced its hull. Other ships had seen and passed on warnings about icebergs in the area of Titanic’s path on the night of her sinking, but there was not coordinated way to track icebergs in 1912. Titanic was traveling so fast because her captain, Edward Smith, wanted to shatter the record for traveling across the Atlantic.

The Obama administration had three years to build Healthcare.gov, a website that is not fundamentally revolutionary when compared to the likes of Progressive.com or Amazon.com. Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare during a window when they controlled all power in Washington, and were more concerned about passing a health care law than with passing a good health care law. Most of them never bothered to read the law they passed. Many of them sold their votes for pork or empty promises. While the Titanic had little advance warning of the iceberg, the Obama administration was warned by stress tests months before the site’s launch that Healthcare.gov would crash. But they did not heed those warnings.

Sinking

The Titanic was arrogantly promoted as “unsinkable.” It sunk on its maiden voyage.

As a recovering liberal I can attest that what I would have thought in the past is that the Democrats rammed the ACA through because they thought that once you establish an entitlement program there would be no rolling it back. And Republicans, bless their little pea pickin' hearts, believe it too. But they are both wrong. I have known all along because I happen to live overseas where there is competently run healthcare system - a hybrid of public and private - that cost about half of the US system. It has slightly better health outcomes too. When I saw that the ACA did absolutely nothing to reduce the 16% of GDP that it costs America going in and that the ACA itself caps that percentage to 17.5% by 2017 I knew it was a Titanic scale disaster. The ACA isn't just moving the deck chairs around on the Titanic. It is literally building a humongous superstructure on top of an already financially failed system. And on top of that it has built a 'too complex to work' computer program to administer it. If you want a bit of schadenfreude read Fred Brooks 1975 book, The Mythical Man-Month. He was the guy who discovered that when a software project falls behind schedule and you throw more programmers at it - progress slows down. When you think of it, if you make the government 100% and the private sector 0% the system grinds to a halt. The Obama wing of the Democratic party just doesn't see that there are limits - even as they crash into them. So relax Senator Cruz. One way or tother, that pig just ain't gonna fly.

This may end up being another Vietnam. First the Demokrats get the country into a war, then they mess with the rules until it is nearly impossible to fight or win. When against all odds we manage to corner the enemy, the Demokrats do a 180 and start wearing their pacifist hat, aiding and abetting the enemy until the whole thing is lost. Remember, they are going to be defeated in all fronts in 2014 but they will be out there marching and raising hell so Republicans try to make that pig fly. Demokrats are masters in this kind of trickery. If the GOP wins in all fronts and they don't repeal this whole thing they should be deposed along with the Demokrats. Remember SAIGON!

I cannot believe such an abomination as IPAB actually exists....choosing who literally lives or dies decided upon by un-elected and UNACCOUNTABLE government bureaucrats; wow....no chance for corruption there, huh? Unless you have political connections or the cash to bribe someone, you get to see your loved one's die because an IPAB member 'decided' your loved one was not worthy of a particular treatment and/or procedure....in AMERICA? I fear we are headed for bloodshed one day, if this is not changed....Pray for us all.

Captain Smith was not trying to "shatter" a speed record because the Titanic was just not capable of competing with the Cunard lines ships on the basis of speed. It was designed to compete on the basis of size and luxury. They may have been trying to make a better-than-ever-before crossing time for a White Star liner, but there was no way they could do better than Cunard's Aquatania, Mauretania and Luisitania all of which were driven by the most up-to-date high pressure turbines (subsidised by the Royal Navy) while Titanic was dirven by a combination of triple-expansion reciprocating engines and a low-pressure turbine.

The BIG Disgrace is the O'Care requirements added to all healthcare plans, both individual and group. I don't know the specifics of groups but I believe it is the same.

I live in the People's Republic of Washington, with Hillarycare (since watered down) and we have been expensive for health care compared to other states. So our prices should have gone up less.

I am a 58 Male and had with Regence Blue Shield a 2K deductible, 50% copay to 5K out of pocket with a 2M expense cap for 342 a month, yes no Maternity and no Drug detox but I thought it was full coverage but with a moderately high deduct. So if I had no medical, met my deductible, and totally cratered by costs would be 4,104, 6,104, and 9,104 for the year.

That plan is dying, they were going to put me into their Bronze plan 5K deductible 6.25K total OOP that is 512/mo. So if I had no medical, met my deductible, and totally cratered by costs would be 6,144, 11,144, and 12,394 for the year. So my plan is between 2,040 50% more to 3,290 36% depending if I am healthy or a cripple. I refuse to buy on the exchange so I am staying with Regence.

Interestingly, the gold plan which I signed up for is 751/mo for 1K/3.3K coverage costs 9,012, 10,012, and 12,312. So if I have about 3,800 in health care expenses the gold is cheaper.

A look at a 28 yo finds the similar before / after Ocare to be 186 a month for a 2K/5K plan so a far higher deductible at the same price. The 2K deductible plan is 1,100 more than before, or 50%

So no matter where one gets insurance we have gotten a 50% hike in costs just to sign up for this silly thing.

1 year ago

Report Abuse

1 year agoEditLink To Comment• Report Abuse

This comment has been reported.
Click here
to view it anyway.

1
2Next View All

... (show more)

Update CommentCancel

2 Trackbacks to “4 Ways Obamacare’s Disaster Is Worse than the Sinking of the Titanic”